Long Run Saturday

Yesterday morning I woke up early...6:00...on a Saturday.  This is highly unusual for me since I usually set the alarm and snooze until the last possible moment.  For some reason I have woken up at a time with a 6: in front for the last 3 or 4 Saturdays.  This particular Saturday I woke up feeling pretty blah.  I was having some major tummy troubles.  I thought maybe I was just being a wuss and would feel better after my run was out of the way (fyi, I was wrong).  I skipped breakfast (unusual) and headed out to meet the running group.  I tend to hang on their heels for the first mile or so and then drop off the back and finish by myself.  I had my iphone in my pocket and my earbuds strapped on my jacket (aka hanging from my zipper) so that I wouldn't be lacking motivation or distraction after I ended up by myself.  They ended up being an unnecessary nuisance since one of my old running buds (who has since sped up and took off at a new pace without me) is dealing with some hip issues and decided to hang back with me yesterday.  It was nice to have some company for the entire run.  Unfortunately there were a few times she had to circle back and pick me up because I was struggling!

She slowed her pace to stay with me, but I had to speed mine to keep up with her.  It was good for me, because I know I'm capable of faster than what I've been doing on my long runs but I have a hard time pushing myself to an uncomfortable pace by myself.  But I know that if all my long runs are comfortable I'm not going to get to a point of growth.  So, although I wanted to puke and thought I might be dead on my feet around mile 4, after the run was over it all felt worth it.  Doesn't it always feel worth it when you finish and the run becomes a memory?

We did 6 miles in 1:03:29, or a 10:34 pace!  I felt happy and speedy, she felt no hip pain and enjoyed a run where she could keep a conversational pace.  Or she was just saying that to make me feel better :)

We followed it up by meeting up with another of our speedier running buddies for some breakfast.  Bacon, eggs, hash browns, and buttered toast taste so good after a hard run.  And bless the waitress...she kept the water coming!

On a related note, I woke up this morning alarm free at 7:00.  Why can I not wake up early when I actually have somewhere to be?